NEW DELHI: Lalit Modi, the architect of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has revealed that he once pledged to reward Indian cricketers with a Porsche if they managed the rare feat of hitting six sixes or taking six wickets in a single over during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Not long after, Yuvraj Singh achieved the incredible against England’s Stuart Broad, and Modi kept his word—receiving Yuvraj’s iconic bat in exchange.The revelation came on a podcast with former Australian captain Michael Clarke, where Modi narrated how he had walked into the Indian dressing room before the tournament to announce the extraordinary incentive.“Anybody hit six sixes or take six wickets in an over … I’ll give you a Porsche from my pocket,” Modi recalled on the @Beyond23CricketPod podcast.Under MS Dhoni’s leadership, a youthful Indian side went on to lift the inaugural T20 World Cup, a triumph that became the catalyst for the birth of the IPL, now the most popular cricket league worldwide.Yuvraj’s blistering six sixes off Broad made history, and right after his knock, he reminded Modi of the promise.“Yuvraj, looks at me on the boundary … he raises the bat, and he comes running to me, ‘I want my Porsche’, I said, give me the bat,” Modi recounted.The deal saw Yuvraj drive away in a Porsche, while Modi secured the bat that symbolised one of the most unforgettable moments in cricket. The bat still has pride of place in his home as a cherished piece of history.Yuvraj’s heroics in that campaign not only energized Indian cricket fans but also laid the foundation for the IPL’s phenomenal rise.
